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The Body Adorned - Horniman Museum

Exhibition preview

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AN EXHIBITION entitled The Body Adorned will be on display at the Horniman Museum from March 24, 2012 to January 6, 2013.

The exhibition reveals how a diverse population clothe and adorn their bodies to find their place in the metropolis. Over time, saris, tattoo parlours, nail bars, distended ears and scarification have become a visible, everyday part of the London cityscape.

But how did cultural adornments become integrated into urban London life? And why do we make our dress choices in today’s capital?

The Body Adorned features hundreds of stunning objects from the Horniman’s collections including adorned figures, early tattooing instruments and headdresses, a film installation by The Light Surgeons, several wardrobes of London residents exploring why they wear what they wear and urban street portraits taken by young people.

The Body Adorned is an exhibition that invites visitors to look at how they dress their bodies and why.

The Horniman Museum also has two ongoing exhibitions and they are:

Mummers, Maypoles and Milkmaids – A Journey Through the English Ritual Year, which runs until September 9, 2012.

This exhibition brings together 50 photographs of regional rituals performed throughout the year in England. Costumed processions, symbolic dramatizations, traditional dances and fire ceremonies mark the changing seasons and celebrate nature’s bounty.

Many of these customs claim an ancient origin such as traditions like Jack-in-the-Green, or have a pagan heritage like the Celtic festival of Beltane, and are kept alive today by local communities.